07/15/2016
--Christie sending all motor vehicles employees to customer service training--
By Matt Arco | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
on April 28, 2016 at 6:10 PM
Ever have an unpleasant experience at the state's motor vehicle department that could have been improved by a more friendly face behind the counter offering a more helping hand?
If yes, then Gov. Chris Christie has your back.
The governor announced Thursday he's initiating a statewide program to require all Motor Vehicle Commission employees to undergo mandatory customer service training at least once a year. Christie said the goal is to "ensure that MVC consumers receive the best consumer service we can provide."
Flanked by the head of the agency, Commissioner Raymond Martinez, for the announcement at a Lawrenceville DMV office, the governor assured New Jerseyans the standards will be applied for every MVC employee.
"While the MVC already has set the bar high for service, increased training can only make for a better experience for our residents," he said. "MVC would immediately require all employees, from Ray on down, to undergo thorough customer service training during the course of the next year.
Currently, customer service training courses are offered every two weeks, but are only mandated for new employees.
Christie took up the cause to improve MVC a week after he visited the South Plainfield office and made good on his offer to help a Bound Brook teen who'd run into difficulty replacing his damaged learner's permit from state motor vehicles offices.
On his monthly radio show Wednesday night, the governor heard from Stacey Pilato, the wife of former Bound Brook mayor Carey Pilato and the mother of 17-year-old Isaac "Ike" Pilato. She told him of her fruitless four-month, seven-visit slog to various state MVC locations to replace Ike's learner's permit after it was damaged in the wash.
